Emma, 7, lives in Enfield and is currently undergoing treatment at Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Allyson Duffin said Emma's oncologist, Dr. Natalie Bezler, has been an "awesome" resource for the family. "She always explains everything and even answers our questions when she's on vacation," Allyson added.

The Duffins are not the only ones who appreciate Bezler's work.

On Thursday, Bezler received $75,000 for Hyundai's Young Investigators Clinical Award for Pediatric Cancer Research. The award was presented as part of Hyundai's Hope On Wheels event, when children affected by cancer dip their hands in colorful paint and place handprints on a white Hyundai Santa Fe.

The car travels to hospitals around the country, "honoring the brave children that receive [cancer] treatment," said John Hyland, Hyundai's eastern region general manager. The event is held at every hospital that receives an award.

As the first patient to make her mark on the car, Emma excitedly chose blue paint. Her eleven-year-old brother, Alex, who is also her bone marrow donor, placed his matching blue handprint beside hers.

Their handprints were soon joined by others in green, red and purple from other CCMC pediatric cancer patients, ranging in ages from 3 to 13.

Watching Emma jump up and down in excitement, Bezler said, "She is always smiling and pleasant. She is an inspiration to other patients and reminds us why we do what we do."

Bezler will use the award money to further her research on the effects of health literacy on cancer patients. Health literacy is the ability of patients and families to understand health care information, she explained. Her research focuses on low health literacy as a risk factor that could hinder a patient's improvement and how doctors can help avoid this.

"A child with cancer is a terrible thing," Hyland said, "so we thought they deserved more [donations]."

Since 2006, CCMC has received over $600,000 from Hope On Wheels.

This year, Hope on Wheels will award 13 Young Investigator awards and 36 Hyundai Scholar Hope grants, totaling approximately $13 million, to institutions across the nation.

Visit http://www.facebook.com/emmaduffinjourney for more on Emma's battle with leukemia.